4.44pmThere are still 20 minutes until the first pair tee off but already an expectant US crowd are in full voice, hollering whenever they catch a glimpse of one of their heroes.

Nick Faldo - commentator for NBC We were in the booth, but you could feel the tension. Poulter's final five birdies on Saturday night had changed everything. As David Feherty said on air: "This game is tied 10-6." When I was walking to the booth some European fans asked: "Can we do it, Nick?" I said: "Yeah, there's a chance." It wasn't much of a chance, although there was something in the air.

Ian Poulter - Europe Keegan Bradley was pumping up the crowd on the range. We had never seen that from the Americans. Even Tiger Woods was at it on that morning. He grabbed hold of Webb Simpson around the neck and obviously told him to go and get stuck into me. So I blew Tiger a little kiss. It was that kind of day.Paul McGinley - Europe vice-captain There were just two of us left in the locker room before we went out in the singles – me and Ollie. I told him: "If Seve is in heaven and he's sitting with the best Hollywood scriptwriter, and he was asked which way do you want Ollie to win, it would be for you to be battered for two days, then kept within touching distance by a character like Poulter. And then you come strong and win in the last match. Maybe that's what our script is." Ollie just laughed.

5.15pmRory McIlroy arrives at Medinah in an unmarked police car, having overslept after confusing Eastern time with Central time, just 10 minutes before his game with Keegan Bradley is due to tee off.

Maggie Budzar - USPGA transport official I was at the team hotel organising the travel, ticking off every player on a sheet as they left. At 11am we hadn't seen Rory. We had someone go up to his room and he was there. I asked a policeman parked out at the front if he could take him. Rory jumped straight in the front seat. There was a sense of panic.Keegan Bradley - USA I knew he was running late. I was so nervous I couldn't even worry about it – at that point I was just trying to stay upright. But if he was going to be late I wanted to see if I could push our time back. I wasn't going to disqualify the kid. But I was told that was the rule.

Rory McIlroy - Europe I thought I was off at 12.25pm, not 11.25am. I definitely wouldn't have got there in time if it wasn't for the police car and his blue light. I don't even want to think what would have happened if I hadn't got there.

6.02pmEurope have started slowly, their talisman Poulter conceding on the fourth green to go two-down against Webb Simpson after missing a par-putt.

Ian Poulter I wasn't worried. I knew I'd win my point – and that's no offence to Webb, who had a great week. It's a weird feeling when you're in the zone and all that mayhem is going on around you and you find that you are entirely focused on the shot, or the putt. All this adrenaline was flowing and I was thinking to myself: "There's no way I'm losing this."

6.35pmEurope finally stir into action with a contender for shot of the day from Paul Lawrie – a chip in from off the fourth green for a stunning birdie that puts him 1 up against Brad Snedeker.

Paul Lawrie I'm not normally one for fist- pumping and the like, but I must admit I had a wee bit of a jump and a shout to myself when the ball dropped. Which was understandable. It was a classic two-hole swing as I could easily have lost the hole had I not holed out. I felt a lot of responsibility to produce the point. Ollie had highlighted the need for the top five matches to win – and I was number five.

7.55pmEurope's charge is gaining momentum. Poulter levels his match against Simpson, and Justin Rose goes into the lead against Phil Mickelson. Europe lead in five of the six matches.

Jessica Bridge - Ladbrokes Just before this moment we were going 33-1 on a European win. We couldn't see how it could be done. But then it just all turned blue and the odds began to tumble.

8.19pmEurope bank their first point courtesy of a stunning bunker shot from Luke Donald, which Bubba Watson is unable to match.

Luke Donald It was a big honour that Ollie had enough trust in me to go out and get that first point. It meant a lot to lead the team. Bubba was urging the crowd to cheer when he teed off on the first but I was just incredibly calm. Being an adopted Chicago man helped. I know the crowd gave some of the other guys some stick but in our game it wasn't totally going Bubba's way. I felt a lot of love. I had the most overwhelming feeling of relief when it ended. I'd done my job.

9.19pmMcIlroy's desperate dash to the course has reaped its rewards: he beats Bradley 2&1 to hand Europe another point.

Keegan Bradley Looking back, I'm still happy he showed up. I wish he had played a little worse than he did. But he's a great kid, and I really enjoyed playing with him. Rory's such a natural, he doesn't need a long warm-up.

9.25pmEurope are on a roll: Poulter, true to his word, beats Simpson 2&1 to haul Europe back to 10-10 on the scoreboard.

Ian Carter - BBC golf correspondent When the Europeans were coming off, none of them seemed to know how tight the game was. There were hardly any leaderboards on the course, so they didn't know how it was turning Europe's way. When I interviewed Donald he appeared resigned to America winning. I told him: "No, this game's on a knife-edge." They were in the dark and that was probably to Olazabal's favour.

9.28pmMoments after Phil Mickelson's putt to beat Justin Rose on the 17th lips out, the Englishman produces a quite majestic putt to go all square.

Mark Fulcher - Rose's caddie At that stage we weren't thinking about Europe winning the Ryder Cup - we were thinking only about winning our match. Would Justin have nailed that putt on the 17th if he knew what it would mean to the match as a whole? I reckon so. He was in that mood. He'd struggled with left to righters all year, but suddenly the switch flicked.

9.43pmRose completes one of the most stirring comebacks of the day to beat Mickelson at the 18th with a nerveless putt from 15 feet. Europe have taken control.

Justin Rose - Europe There was a lot of emotion. To beat Phil was huge for me personally, especially as I reeled off three huge putts to do it. It's funny, I went to the locker room and there were bottles of champagne there, just in case. I really wanted to pop one open to spray on to the crowd, to celebrate my win. It wouldn't have been appropriate.

10.03pmAmerica's increasingly grim day is summed up by Jim Furyk's 15-foot putt to win the 16th against Sergio Garcia. The ball looks certain to drop and Furyk even raises his arms in celebration, but somehow it stays out. Furyk remains just one up.

Sergio Garcia - Europe That was probably heartbreaking for Jim, because he hit a great putt. As reliable as he usually is, you could see he was feeling it after that. He didn't play 17 well and I won with a par to level it. We both knew what rested on this game.

10.31pmIn another remarkable American capitulation on the last, Furyk misses a straightforward 10-foot putt and Europe lead 13-12. They are ahead for the first time in the tournament.

Sergio Garcia When you are up for a long time, like Jim had been, and you feel like things are going the wrong way, it's hard sometimes to stop it. Some of us on the team had been in that position in [Brookline in] 1999. We knew how it felt – and it's not easy.

Jose Maria Olazabal - Europe captain I knew we had to win those first five – the way Justin Rose won his match against Phil, the way Sergio won his against Furyk, they were great turnarounds. Then there was a gap in the order from No 6 to No 9, where everything was red. And at the end, everything was blue. So I did my maths and thought: "Actually, this might happen."

10.52pmAnother crucial missed putt for America. This time, Steve Stricker lips out on the 17th from eight feet, giving Martin Kaymer the chance to go one up. He sinks from five feet. A half at the last and Europe will retain the cup.

Steve Stricker - USA I felt like I didn't play that poorly at times. I hit a good approach shot in there on the 17th, just through the green. Not to get that up and down for me was very disappointing.

11.11pmOn the 18th green, Kaymer and Stricker both have par putts from around eight feet. The American strikes first, into the heart of the hole. Now it is up to Kaymer.

Steve Stricker Making that putt, I thought we maybe had a chance again. I knew Tiger was either one up or even in his match. So we still had hope when Martin was over his putt.

Martin Kaymer - Europe I did think about Bernhard [Langer] and that putt he had [to retain the Ryder Cup in 1991], especially when I walked around the hole and read the putt from the other side. There was a footprint in my line, but it was not that bad. So I thought, okay, it's not to happen again. And to be honest with you, I didn't really think about missing. I was so very controlled, because I know exactly what I had to do. That's the way we Germans are.

Craig Connelly - Kaymer's caddie I was confident. I just kept thinking about the Germans in penalty shoot-outs. That calmed me down.

Jose Maria Olazabal I was there but I couldn't look. I closed my eyes and just waited for the roar.

11.13pmThe coolest man on the course, Kaymer drills his putt into the back of the hole. Europe have retained the Ryder Cup.

Bernhard Langer I didn't think Martin would miss for one second. Of course I thought back. But we'd had a chat on the Saturday and I could tell his mindset was now right. It was bang it the middle. It was cool.

Steve Stricker I feel a lot of responsibility there for not winning that point, for Tiger and I not winning a point. I thought about it a lot afterwards. Still do. There's reminders all over the place at home. You get all these neat gifts from the week. So every corner I take, there's a picture from the Ryder Cup or a present or something. It hurts.

11.24pmAs if Europe did not have enough to celebrate already, Tiger Woods contrives to miss an easy putt on the 18th to hand Francesco Molinari an unlikely half and Europe the trophy outright.Francesco Molinari - Europe There was never any offer to Tiger to halve our match as we were coming down the 18th. I just looked at the captain and he said: "Take your time. Let them celebrate and leave the green. There is still a job to be done." There was obviously big relief when Martin holed the putt – the pressure over the last two shots was not even close to what it had been before. It was very chaotic all around the green, and it all happened very fast. For me it is just a wonderful memory, the best of my golfing life.

Paul Lawrie When Francesco reached the green I couldn't see Tiger miss his putt. Then someone shouted: "We've won" and it all kicked off again. I saw Tiger's putt later and was shocked. I've never seen him miss a putt that badly before. I have no idea what was going through his head – it certainly looked careless at best.

Jose Maria Olazabal When you win your first major, you think that you're going to be jumping up and down, but at the Masters in 1994, I didn't really feel anything. But this time, there were 30-35 guys in the Europe camp alone – everyone was going wild, and you let your emotions go. Then, I looked across at Davis and saw the pain in his eyes. He's a good man and I felt for him as his fellow captain. If you win, it's all fantastic. If you lose, it doesn't matter if you've done everything spot on. You're still no good.